Details of the Ontario
Government's
Public Opinion Poll on the
Ontarians with Disabilities Act

Below is the text
of the Harris Government's summary of its June 2000
public opinion poll on the Ontarians with Disabilities Act issue,
and the Citizenship Minister's news release about
the poll. We first give you some key points about
this poll. You will likely find much more to say about it too.

The document which the Government released to the public is a four-
page summary of their poll results. The Toronto Star reports
that the poll was conducted by the Ipsos Reid firm. Some items
in this document are not totally clear without getting a chance to see
the actual questionnaire that was used and the detailed results. We
plan to ask the Government to release their questionnaire and detailed
polling results.

In the text of the
Government's summary document, set out below, we include a few notes
in brackets, entitled "Reader's Note" to help you read the information
provided. We have formatted this text to make it easier to follow.

OUR
SUMMARY OF SOME KEY POINTS

1. The Public Supports
A Mandatory ODA

Overall, the poll results
show clear, strong public support for the enactment of a strong, effective
and mandatory Ontarians with Disabilities Act. A clear majority supports
what we have been asking for over the past six years, a mandatory law
that applies to both the public and private sectors.

This poll shows that the
public does not support the position which the Harris Government has
been aggressively putting forward over the same six years. The Harris
Government has claimed that such legislation is not needed. It has also
claimed that if any legislation is passed, it should not apply to the
private sector and should be voluntary, not mandatory. A strong majority,
77%, believe that the legislation needs to regulate private industry.
45% believe that businesses will never voluntarily make their businesses
accessible to people with disabilities. In contrast, the Government
has argued that our needs will be met by voluntary measures.

This public support is the
result of grassroots efforts by ODA supporters across Ontario since
the Harris Government took office in 1995. This poll's showing of public
support is consistent with the public opinion poll which was conducted
for the ODA Committee in 1997, and which we have given to the Ontario
Government. It found that there is strong public support for effective
legislation to remove barriers facing persons with disabilities, and
that the cost is worth it. You can find the results
of the ODA Committee's poll by following this
link.

Despite the fact
that it has been delaying on the ODA for over half a decade, the Premier
and his successive citizenship ministers keep claiming that they are
committed to keeping their promises regarding this legislation. We have
said that the Government's inaction on the ODA speaks louder than its
hollow words. According to this poll, a decisive majority of the public,
61%, believes that the Harris Government is not committed to the ODA.
Only 30% think the Government is committed.

3.
The Government's Failed, Toothless Bill 83

In November 1998,
the Ontario Government introduced a toothless,
three-page bill into the Legislature for debate. It did not require
any barriers to be removed. It only applied to the Ontario Government.
After it was widely condemned, the Government let the bill die on the
order paper 17 days later.

The Government evidently
wanted to know how many people remembered this political black eye.
In this poll, the Government asked whether people had heard of the 1998
bill. 18% said yes.

At first blush,
one might think that 18% is not many. However, it's a very sizeable
number, when you look at it in context. This event happened fully 18
months before the June 2000 poll was conducted. There has been a lot
of political news out of Queen's Park since then, including a provincial
election. The media has given lots more attention to many other stories
since the death of that bill. With all that water under the bridge,
the fact that almost 1 in 5
Ontarians still are aware of this bill one and a half years afterwards
shows that we are being effective at getting our message to the public.

4.
What the ODA Should Contain

The Government's
poll asked people about a range of different areas that the ODA could
cover. A number of these did not focus on removing existing barriers
facing persons with disabilities and preventing new barriers. Many barriers
facing people with disabilities do not appear to be addressed at all
in the poll, according to the information provided in this document.

The Citizenship
Minister states in her press release that this poll is a way for her
to consult with the public. Yet the Government has not publicized this
list of options to the public, for its input.

The Government
has never asked the disability community, or the ODA Committee, to comment
on this specific range of options, e.g. when the Minister met with ODA
Committee representatives on September 8, 2000, two months after this
poll was conducted. Instead, only 800 randomly selected, anonymous people
have had their chance to have their say on this list of options for
the ODA.

5.
Overall Government Performance on Disability Issues

The Government has
claimed over the past six years that it is deeply concerned about the
needs of persons with disabilities, and that it has acted on this commitment.
Overall, the poll suggests that the public is not impressed with the
Ontario Government's performance on disability issues. Only 48% think
that the Ontario Government's performance on disability issues is good
or very good. 66% think the current level of services for persons with
disabilities is not enough.

6.
Is there an ODA on the Books Right Now?

More than half of
Ontarians think Ontario already has a Disability Act, though they are
divided on what they think it covers. This is not surprising. In our
experience, for example, many people now think that all public buildings
are now required to be fully accessible.

7.
The Ontario Government's Take on The Poll Results

The Government's
news release claims that this poll shows that the public supports the
Government's approach on this issue. The Government does not make any
mention of the strong evidence in the poll which contradicts its claim.

There are a few
specific figures in the poll which the Government might try to point
to, to support its claim. While there appear to be some inconsistencies
in the views expressed in the poll, the strong trend in the results
do not favour the Government's position.

The Government appears
to rely on the figure that 66% of the public agree, either strongly
or somewhat, that the Government will take a fair and reasonable approach
to the ODA. Given the other views expressed in the poll, this could
well indicate that the public thinks that the Government will eventually
do the right thing, and pass a mandatory ODA covering the public and
private sectors, despite the Government's lack of commitment in this
area.

75% agree that the
Ontario Government should get its own house in order rather than regulating
private companies. However, this gives the false impression that we
must choose one or the other. An ODA could do both - get the Government
to get its own house in order
and address barriers in the private sector.

In early October
2000, the Ontario Liberal Party revealed a leaked draft Harris Cabinet
submission on the ODA. That document proposed that the Government bring
forward a weak, ineffective ODA bill in the fall of 2000. Evidently
referring to this poll, that Cabinet
document stated: "June 2000 polling indicates that the general
public may not have much interest and may support government's approach."
This is what cabinet was being told about these poll results by the
Citizenship Minister.

When the ODA Committee
learned about the draft Cabinet document, it launched its fall 2000
"Ontarians Do Care" campaign. Now that the poll results are
revealed, we can see that these results further support our experience
that Ontarians do care about the needs of
persons with disabilities and support a mandatory ODA.

Require bus and other transportation drivers to call out the stops for
blind passengers 69%

Strengthen fines and enforcement against people who use disabled parking
permits fraudulently 63%

Provide more group homes and other accommodations for adults with developmental
disabilities 61%

Extend the current pre-school speech and language program to five- year-olds
52%

Continue to improve the speed of investigating and resolving complaints
of discrimination with the Human Rights Commission 52%

Provide 24-hour access to sign language interpreters through a toll-free
number for hospital visits and doctors' appointments 52%|

Allow persons with disabilities to use means other than oral testimony
in court matters 44%

Provide guidance to the retail and service sector for serving customers
with disabilities 36%

Undertake an advertising campaign to overcome negative attitudes about
persons with disabilities in the workplace 32%

Develop awards and other recognition for model employers of persons
with disabilities 29%

19. Provincial government will take fair and reasonable approach to
ODA?

Strongly agree 23%

Somewhat agree 43%

Somewhat disagree 20%

Strongly disagree 13%

20. ODA Options: Fair and Reasonable?
AGREE AGREE (STRONGLY/SOMEWHAT)

Eligibility for programs and benefits should be determined by needs
of the individual rather than by the disability itself 91% (62%/29%)
(Reader's Note:
This appears to mean that 91% agree.
62% agree strongly while 29% only agree somewhat.)

The provincial government gets "its own house in order" rather
than regulating private companies 75% (45%/30%)

Guidelines for employing persons with disabilities will be suggested
and available, but no new agency will enforce laws 58% (21%/37%)

All new buildings be accessible, but older buildings are not
required to be accessible 42% (19%/23%)

21. Agree/Disagree with statements
AGREE (STRONGLY/SOMEWHAT)

The provincial government should also regulate the broader public sector,
including hospitals, and municipalities, to become more accessible to
persons with disabilities 91% (60%/31%)

I think an ODA can really improve the lives of Ontario's with disabilities
90% (48%/42%)

Whatever legislation is introduced for persons with disabilities, it
should be mandatory (required) rather than voluntary, regardless of
cost or impact 71% (34%/37%)

I would prefer the government spend money on new technology that allows
communications with the hearing disabled rather than hire interpreters
to do this 68% (33%/35%)

I trust the Harris Government to do the right thing on the Ontarians
with Disabilities issue 54% (21%/33%)

The provincial government currently spends $6 billion on programs and
services for persons with disabilities. I think this is more than enough
46% (16%/30%)

I am uncomfortable giving too much money or support to one group of
people in the province, such as persons with disabilities 46%
(16%/30%)

Corporations and businesses will never voluntarily make their
businesses accessible to persons with disabilities 45% (20%/25%)

The responsibility for ensuring persons with disabilities receive
the programs and support they need should lie with their family -
any support from the provincial government should be a bonus rather
than an expectation 36% (16%/20%)

Compared to other needs, spending money on an Ontarians with
Disabilities Act is a low priority for me 33% (9%24%)

Ministry of Citizenship,
Culture and Recreation
400 University Avenue
Toronto ON M7A 2R9

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 22, 2000
(Ce texte est disponible en francais)

Ontarians Support
Strong Programs and Services for People with Disabilities

TORONTO - Ontarians
reaffirmed their support for strong and relevant programs and services
for people with disabilities in a recent poll. In total, 63% of respondents
felt that the
government's emphasis should be on providing programs and services to
people with disabilities.

"Our government
intends to lead by example, and this poll tells us we are on the right
track. We are doing the right things. We are developing an Action Plan
- which includes legislation - to make life better for people with disabilities
in Ontario," said Helen Johns, Minister of Citizenship, Culture
and Recreation.

"The government
is listening to the perspectives of a number of groups in order to develop
the best possible ideas," Minister Johns said. "We've been
listening to a range of stakeholder groups. We wanted to hear the general
public's views as well. A poll is a cost-effective method of getting
people's views and perspectives about important issues."

More than 65% stated
they believed the province will take a "fair and reasonable"
approach to legislation.

"We will balance
the needs of people with disabilities with those who are in a position
to accommodate their needs," she said. "We promised legislation
- within the goalposts of the Common Sense Revolution - to improve the
lives of people with disabilities."